


Michael, Your Gay is Showing

by Prompt_Master



Category: Be More Chill - Iconis/Tracz
Genre: Coming Out
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-09-06
Updated: 2017-09-06
Packaged: 2018-12-24 19:10:28
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,488
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12019176
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Prompt_Master/pseuds/Prompt_Master
Summary: Everyone knows Michael is gay, except for his best friend of 12 years...





	Michael, Your Gay is Showing

  
If you asked Rich how Michael realized he was gay, he’d tell you some long cheesy story about how he realized he was in love with Jeremy after the drama at the play. This was the version of Gay Realization that Michael told him, but honestly it took a while for him to realize he liked Jeremy. He was indenial for a long time. No, the truth was Michael realized he was gay when he tried to be cool like Jeremy and watch porn, only to realize he wasn’t attracted to any of the girls at all and was more interested in the guys. Michael spent that week really questioning if that was real, and ended finding an LGBT forum and understood he was gay. 

Thing is though, Michael never made a big deal out of being gay, and never actually came out to people. Everyone just kind of…knew. it was obvious that Rich knew first though, and Michael appreciated how instead of yelling “MICHAEL MELL IS A BIG ASS BOTTLE OF GAY”, he did it more subtly. Meaning he’d randomly point out guys to check out with Michael, and the rest of the squad picked up from there. 

And then there was Jeremy. Oh, sweet, ignorant Jeremy. 

He somehow picked up the casual remarks as teasing. Hed even talked Michael about how he thought the group was being rude by insisting Michael was gay. He didn’t even know how to respond to that! Jeremy knew him so well he thought he figured this out months ago! Just goes to show you, Jeremy needed a serious conversation or he took it as a joke. 

That’s why when Michael saw a rainbow flag patch he knew the perfect way to show Jeremy. It was a way of coming out that didn’t feel too flashy, helped him represent himself and built on the hoodie that suited him so well. And Jeremy would take it seriously, all of Michael’s patches meant something to him. That night he stitched his pride flag to the upper left shoulder of his hoodie and smiled at it, proud of his work and enjoying how it looked. It came out better than he thought. 

Until tomorrow arrived. He suddenly felt like all eyes were glued on his left arm, nothing could be more obvious than a big ol rainbow. Michael was going to dread today. 

Jeremy ran up to him with a big smile and an awkward wave thay stood midway up in the air, “Michael! Hey man!” 

Michael turned and felt his heart skip so many beats he was sure he should be dead, he can’t do this. Sure there had been plenty of opportunities before, but he’d always chicken out. Just like now. Michael turned so his left side was facing away from Jeremy. 

“Oh hey dude, what’s shakin’?”

Jeremy seemingly didn’t notice Michael’s strange behavior cause he just smiled and kept talking “I’m fucked. Wanna help me cheat on my Spanish test?” 

Michael snorted, shoving his hands into his pockets as they walked arm to arm, “you want me to hold your hand through the hall too?” 

He couldn’t help but smile at the dorky laugh Jeremy gave, “no way dude that’s gay” 

There. Right now just say it. ‘Actually, I am gay’ it’s the perfect opportunity. 

He didn’t take it. 

The entire morning he had his face down on his desk, groaning at what an idiot he was. Every time he saw Jeremy he tried, he really did, but he was too nervous. Jeremy would be awkward around him for a bit. Jeremy would totally know about his crush on him. 

After school the entire gang was supposed to hang out together, something about Jenna deciding they had to “keep it real”. Michael was ok with it, he liked hanging out with everyone, it could just he exhausting. But when he went to meet up with everyone at Jake’s mom van he noticed Jeremy talking to Rich about…something. 

Ok so maybe Michael was listening in. 

“…not dating her anymore right? Why not?” 

“I uh…kinda sorta ended up liking somebody else?” 

“What?! Who?! Wait wait no don’t tell me, it’s obviously Michael” 

“Michael?! N-no no no, no way! That’s- that’s super gay Rich!” 

Michael wanted to hide into his hoodie and glue it shut. He couldn’t do this. He was such an idiot for making his way of coming out so obvious. He should just leave before he makes everything awkward for the rest of the day. 

Rich leaned against Jake’s car and looked around at everyone, “so where’s Michael?” 

Jake frowned “I haven’t seen him such lunch” 

Jenna frowned “he was avoiding us then too…” 

Everyone thought for a moment what could be wrong, and soon all eyes were on Jeremy. Jeremy looked up at them, a nervous look crossing his face “w-what?” 

“Well no offense man but you usually either know what’s wrong with Michael…” 

“Or are what’s wrong with Michael” 

Jeremy groaned, hanging his head low “you’re right…and I don’t know what’s wrong with him. He’s been acting weird all day.” 

Christine patted Jeremy on the shoulder, “Oh come on Miah! I’m sure whatever it is it’ll be ok!” 

Chloe rolled her eyes, letting herself into the car, “he’s probably on his period or something anyway.” 

Brooke huffed, “no Chlo, that’s you” 

“Yeah so can we get on with this trip already?” 

— 

The next day at school Jake and Rich were walking together in the hallways. The two boys would never admit it, but they cared so deeply for each of their friends that they couldn’t express it even if they wanted to. So in the end, somehow Michael became a part of their conversation. 

Jake sighed, looking down at his phone as Rich held his arm to guide him through the hallway, “I don’t know man…i texted him last night” 

“Yeah?” Rich looked up, watching the way Jake’s eyes scanned and reread all their texts, “what happened” 

“I told him we were all worried about him, and he asked if Jeremy was too-”

“Gay.” Rich tugged at his arm to keep him from walking into a trashcan.

“Yeah, I know. Anyway, I told him yes and he said, and I quote, 'kk cool thanks for letting me know’, so I think we’ll see him at lunch” Jake put his phone into his pocket and looked over at Rich, “I wonder what’s wrong with him?” 

“Me too…it’s probably fucking stupid though.” 

Jake laughed, smiling as they walked into the cafeteria, “you got that right.” 

The two of them sat down and joked around about dumb shit that can’t be repeated. Jeremy eventually came over, complaining about how suspicious school lunch hotdogs are. So Rich swallowed the hotdog whole to prove a point that did not get across to anyone. It was nice, stupid teenage fun. Until that is, Michael sat down next to Jeremy. 

Now Rich was usually written off as an aloof jokester meme man, but he could he aware of his surroundings. He knew his friends as well as they’d allow him. So when he saw the rainbow patch on Michael’s shoulder it all clicked together. He took his chance in the tense silence to think about whether or not he should intervene and let Michael tell Jer himself, but that kid could avoid his problems until they killed him.

“So Jeremy, have you seen Michael’s new patch?” He said, ignoring the dirty look Michael threw at him. 

Jeremy looked up from his…corn? Who knows with school lunch, and looked over at Michael, “new patch? Dude lemme see!” 

Michael laughed, “ah..yeah Dude sure” 

“You ok?” 

“Yeah yeah I’m fine- here” he turned so that Jeremy had a full view. 

Jer shoveled some hopefully-but-probably not-corn corn into his mouth, “I like it. But it’s kinda gay.” 

Michael rubbed the back of his neck, “yeah yeah that’s cuz yknow…cuz..im kinda gay…” 

His eyes looked up to meet Jeremy, who was staring at him eyes wide and spoon in open mouth. 

“Jere-” 

“Wait!!” Jeremy dropped the spoon, looking at him in disbelief “you’re gay?!” 

“Yeah im-”

Jake laughed, cutting them off and breaking the silence everyone had, “you didn’t know that dude?”

“Of course I didn’t know that! How do you know that!” 

“No offense, you peice of tall shit, but it’s incredibly, monumentally, painfully obvious.” Rich smirked, proud of himself for Knowing. 

Christine rubbed the back of her neck, “I kinda knew too” 

Brooke and Jenna nodded, “me too” 

“Was that supposed to be a secret?” Chloe didn’t even look up from her phone. 

Michael smiled as he watched Jeremy process all this information, “sorry bro…” 

Jeremy shook his head, and turned to face Michael “no don’t be sorry! I’m super glad I know now? I guess?” 

“So you don’t mind?” 

“Of course not man, I’m still your bro” 

“Sweet.”


End file.
